1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for designing a suitable sequence for a control probe which is used in determining a dynamic range of a probe array, having a solid-phase carrier with probes immobilized thereon, such as a DNA microarray.
2. Related Background Art
In detecting a target nucleic acid, a control nucleic acid (control probe) is often used in order to minimize the influence caused by detection errors (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-335981). The control probe used in a DNA microarray for use in detecting bacteria is generally designed based on a sequence derived from the bacteria present in the natural world as a reference. The control probe is used in a DNA microarray or the like to, know its dynamic range. To explain more specifically, if a complementary sequence (single stranded DNA sequence) to that of a control probe is present in a sample containing a target, the complementary sequence (single stranded DNA sequence) can be detected by the control probe immobilized onto a DNA microarray based on a hybridization reaction between the sample and the array. In this manner, the dynamic range of the array can be identified.